Date: TA 2941

Thorin: 195 years old

Lina: 192 years old

"How far will the wizard accompany us?" Nes asked. The sharp grate of metal against stone punctuated her question as the whetstone slid along the edge of her blade. Slowly, precisely, the assassin honed her already lethal blade.

If Lina did not know her better, she would think the other female was perfectly calm. The action of sharpening her blades was something Nes did on relatively few occasions, at least in the presence of others. Among company, the assassin used the task to both intimidate those around her and to steady her own nerves. The silence from Lina's band and from Kira was wearing on Nes's resolve.

"Only until we reach the foothills," Lina answered. Repacking her own bags occupied her hands as she considered the coming journey. At dawn, the two companies would part ways. Lina and Nes would accompany Gandalf to the foothills of the Misty Mountains. Thorin and his companions would brave the shadows of Mirkwood.

Over the course of the day, the jovial attitude that once filled the group dissipated. Fili was the first to catch a glimpse of Mirkwood's dark trees about midday. The dwarves reached the forest's edge before the sun went down and laid out camp earlier than usual. None of them wished to enter the forbidding depths any sooner than necessary. Neither, for that matter, did they wish to part company with their friends or wizard.

"Speaking of Gandalf, where is he?" Lina looked quizzically around the camp. The line breaker had neither seen nor spoken to the wizard since the previous day. Her mind briefly flashed to the serious conversation she'd witnessed between Gandalf and Bilbo. Yet her mind could supply no subject so serious that it would warrant the wizard vanishing so suddenly.

Nes shrugged noncommittally in response. Something about her lack of answer bothered Lina. Her assassin always knew where every member of the group was. She was the first to know which direction Gandalf had gone when he'd left Beorn's house. It was impossible for her to not know something of the wizard's whereabouts. However, Lina did not get the chance to confirm her suspicions. Bofur claimed Nes's attention with an exuberant hand gesture. With a tiny, almost imperceptible smile, the other female answered by getting up to join him.

Darkness had just fallen around the company when the wizard appeared suddenly in the circle of light from the fire. His hand landed on Lina's shoulder and steered her away from the band and into the darkness. The dwarf said nothing, but allowed the wizard to lead her.

"You seem to have caught the attention of the Valar in a way not many do, whether they be Dwarves, Men, or Elves," Gandalf informed her once the sounds of the rest of the company had faded somewhat.

"What do you mean?" Lina's curiosity was piqued. The Valar tended to favor the Elves, the Firstborn. Men had also received their favors, but the Dwarves were the adopted children. Rarely did the Valar seem to notice the Dwarves. Aulë did, of course. The Dwarves were his children. The rest of the Valar focused more on the concerns of the other races.

"It is a gift from the Valar that allows you such a powerful connection to Thorin," Gandalf pointed out. "However, they have a special interest in you it would seem. They have given me leave to present to you a gift: the possibility of children."

"What?" The line breaker stared in stunned silence at the wizard.

"It is not a guarantee, mind you," Gandalf added hastily. "Merely the possibility."

From within the folds of his robes, he drew forth a small stone talisman. With fingers surprisingly deft for one so aged, the talisman disappeared into the long braid trailing down Lina's back. The stone was so tiny that it was unnoticeable in the heavy weight of her hair.

"I believe now would be an excellent time to rejoin the others," Gandalf informed her. He held up a hand to still her questions.

"There will be time for questions later, but we only have a short time left with Thorin and his company. I suggest we make the most of it."

Lina could not argue. She was not looking forward to leaving her husband the next morning.

All the dwarves ate in heavy silence. For most, the parting at the edge of Mirkwood meant the loss of the wizard's protection. Some, like Lina and Thorin had greater partings to mourn. With the journey having proved far more perilous than anticipated, neither felt wholly comfortable letting their spouse out of sight.

The dark dreams continued to haunt her throughout the trek from Beorn's house to the edge of Mirkwood. They came the same every night, but always with slightly different variations. As Thorin was not directly involved, the dreams were very vague. Sometimes it was as if she could see the future. At other times, they seemed to be the imaginings of a worried wife. Though she dismissed them as nonsense, they worried her.

"I regret that I shall be leaving you as soon as the sun rises," Gandalf announced, breaking the silence. The dwarves offered only token protests. They learned many days earlier that nothing they could say or do would change the wizard's mind. He would leave them whether they willed it or not.

"As are we," Lina added. The dwarves understood, even if they did not like losing the two warriors. They needed the army Lina promised if they were to retake Erebor. Fili seemed the most disturbed to realize his aunt was leaving them.

As the dwarves prepare to settle down for the night, the younger dwarf approached Lina. His eyes shifted restlessly about the camp. Something was setting him on edge.

"Aunt, may I speak with you?" he requested. "Privately."

"Of course." She followed Fili a short distance from the others.

"What's troubling you, young one?" Her grey eyes searched his face, hoping to divine something more from his appearance. The seriousness in his eyes was far different from anything she'd seen in him before. It was reminiscent of Thorin's manner during the War of Orcs and Dwarves. His concerns had nothing to do with Kita, but something far more worrying.

"Don't leave. Just send Nes to Kira. Please." Fili looked in earnest at his aunt.

"Kira won't come without my summons. We don't even know what has become of her or our missing companions. I must go," Lina answered. The young dwarf's face fell.

"I don't understand. What is wrong?"

"It's Thorin," he blurted. That startled Lina. What had Fili seen that she had not?

"Explain."

"It started when we were still in Belegost. I saw it in his eyes when we brought the gold back from our fight. Something inside him came to life, something horrible. He buried it quickly, but since he began planning this quest, it has reappeared. Whatever it is, it makes him angrier than he normally would be. When it takes hold, he is difficult to speak to. His whole manner changes," Fili explained. "I saw some of it in his eyes when he attacked Bolg."

Lina sat in stunned silence, trying to sort through her memories. Her thoughts kept darted back to her nephew's mention of gold. A horrible thought occurred to her. Perhaps Thorin, like his grandfather had the gold sickness.

"He's probably just stressed by the quest," she told her nephew. "Keep an eye on him."

"I wish you would, Lina. He's better when you are here." With that Fili rose and rejoined the others.

The line breaker chewed on her lower lip as she watched Thorin. Her nephew's observations combined with her own presented a worrying picture. Perhaps that was the darkness she dreamed of, Thorin's gold sickness.

"You look worried, love," Thorin commented, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Just thinking," she told him, accepting the kiss he offered. It was difficult to imagine her husband, as strong and stubborn as he was, falling victim to the same illness as his grandfather. It was especially hard as his lips fell on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"How about thinking about something else for a while?" he murmured. "Privately."

Lina smirked as her body responded to his touch.

"Lead on."

Thorin draped his cloak over their cooling bodies before tightening his arms protectively around his wife. Her fingers stroked the coarse black hair on his chest, a motion serving to soothe them both. Neither wanted to think about how long it would be before they were one more in the other's arms. They weren't even sure under what circumstances they would meet again.

"I love you, Lina," he whispered. His fingers tangled around her thick braid, drawing her closer.

"I love you, Thorin."

A/N: I've received quite a few messages regarding the story. I have not forgotten about it. I simply struggled writing this chapter in addition to battling personal problems. Hopefully the next few chapters will come at a little quicker pace. We shall see.